The Motor Ombudsman

How is The Motor Ombudsman funded?

The Motor Ombudsman is funded by annual accreditations paid for by businesses that meet the strict requirements to be a part of the organisation.

Accreditations have no influence or bearing on the independent and impartial decisions made by The Motor Ombudsman’s adjudicators and ombudsmen.

What are The Motor Ombudsman’s key roles?

Whilst The Motor Ombudsman looks to resolve complaints between consumers and accredited businesses, this forms only part of its core responsibilities as an Ombudsman. The Motor Ombudsman is tasked specifically with the self-regulation of the UK automotive industry, and to identify key issues to assist in driving even higher standards throughout the consumer purchase and ownership experience, at an independent garage, dealership, vehicle manufacturer and warranty level, and across the automotive industry as a whole.

The Motor Ombudsman’s four key roles can be summarised as follows:

When was The Motor Ombudsman founded?

The Motor Ombudsman evolved from Motor Codes, the UK’s leading automotive dispute resolution provider, and was found on 1st of November 2016.

It was the first time that the motor industry had ever had a dedicated Ombudsman specific to its sector. The Motor Ombudsman’s Codes of Practice are long-established, with the first Code, the New Car Code, introduced in 1976.

You can read more about The Motor Ombudsman’s four Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI)-approved Codes of Practice here.

What is The Motor Ombudsman?

The Motor Ombudsman is the independent and impartial Ombudsman dedicated solely to the automotive sector, and self-regulates the UK’s motor industry through its comprehensive Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI)-approved Codes of Practice.

Thousands of businesses, including vehicle manufacturers, warranty product providers, franchised dealers and independent garages, are accredited to one or more of The Motor Ombudsman’s four Codes of Practice, which drive even higher standards of work and service, and give consumers added protection, peace of mind and trust during the vehicle purchase and ownership experience.

What is an Ombudsman?

An Ombudsman is defined by the Ombudsman Association (OA) as an independent service that investigates and resolves complaints. Ombudsman schemes are free to consumers, and are impartial in their investigations – so they don’t take sides.

As well as providing redress for an individual, an Ombudsman also identifies any systemic issues relevant to the sector that they operate in, and provides feedback to businesses and industry to help improve services and the handling of complaints.